Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $741 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Chengdu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Chengdu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $741 in Chengdu, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Chengdu $741

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,204 in Chengdu, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Chengdu $1,204

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,667 in Chengdu, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Chengdu $1,667

Lisbon costs about 200% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Chengdu is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.80 ¥18.72

489.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$22.37 ¥150

173.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.91 ¥32.85

129.53%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.88 ¥19.28

6.25%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$0.50 ¥3.37

352.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.28 ¥1.88

517.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.53 ¥10.21

121.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.19 ¥14.61

55.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.90 ¥12.73

-41.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.50 ¥10.02

24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.99 ¥6.62

54.55%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.56 ¥10.42

153.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$14.54 ¥97.2

-12.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.66 ¥24.48

115.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$11.19 ¥74.8

51.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.85 ¥12.40

22.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.37 ¥9.19

27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.09 ¥7.28

69.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.16 ¥7.74

121.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.70 ¥4.70

165.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.72 ¥4.84

180.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.62 ¥4.16

132.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.54 ¥3.64

51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.72 ¥24.89

76.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.58 ¥30.61

22.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.82 ¥5.49

56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.48 ¥9.86

39.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.43 ¥2.88

446.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$24.50 ¥164

80.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.30 ¥8.71

206.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.29 ¥1.94

275.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$4.46 ¥29.85

273.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.32 ¥8.81

72.73%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

72.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.3K €35.0K

$17.4K ¥116.1K

126.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$167 €149

$47.19 ¥316

254.93%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.80 €16.72

$9.21 ¥61.6

104.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$12.45 ¥83.2

165.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$26.80 ¥179

71.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$11.39 ¥76.2

68.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.08 ¥40.62

61.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$677 €602

$379 ¥2,534

78.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$14.8K ¥99.0K

14.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$25.28 ¥169

300.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$27.77 ¥186

64.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$56.9 ¥381

75.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$52.6 ¥352

133.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$464 ¥3,103

247.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$248 ¥1,659

382.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$813 ¥5,436

251.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$533 ¥3,565

273.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,762 ¥25.2K

101.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,902 ¥12.7K

126.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,252 ¥8,368

26.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.38

13.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Chengdu

$248 33.5% 79.3% $949

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Chengdu

$196 26.5% 27.2% $73

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Chengdu

$87 11.7% 64.1% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Chengdu

$69 9.3% 68.6% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Chengdu

$73 9.9% 56% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Chengdu

$39 5.3% 40.7% $27

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 54% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $464 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $196 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Chengdu 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon, $741 in Chengdu – roughly 200% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,112 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,223 in Lisbon and $741 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 200%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $741 in Chengdu to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.